A/N: Hi everyone! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy in these uncertain times. I appreciate all the lovely reviews left for me. Please enjoy the latest chapter.
Chapter Three
"Okay…who do you want me to get to conduct it?" Seth asks on the other end of the call. He—like other members of the administration—read this morning's copy of the Washington Herald. It's not a surprise Frank is calling him to work on a media strategy.
"Someone respectable. I want someone who will focus more on the politics of this instead of us." Frank refuses to have some doe-eyed, fresh-out-of-college writer doing a puff piece on their family. He would rather have the emphasis be on Claire's maternity bill to redirect the country's attention.
"Sure. I can ask Matt Bai of the New York Times if he's willing to do an article. Are you sure you don't want to reach out to Ashleigh Banfield again? It might be good to do a follow-up interview."
Frank pauses to mull over the suggestion in his head. He likes Ashleigh and values her willingness to ask difficult questions, but they need someone who will stay on message for this particular interview. If this goes sideways, they can forget about reframing the narrative. All people will want to hear about is whether their marriage will survive another strain.
"Let me run it by Claire and see what she thinks. I'll have an answer for you by the time we get to Washington. Call me if something else comes up." Frank hangs up the phone and instantly regrets his promise to Seth. Claire won't want to speak to him now but having Emily in the room might be his saving grace. He knows how much Claire hates arguing around their daughter.
Frank knocks on the door softly, not wanting to wake Emily or Claire if they are sleeping.
"Come in!" Emily exclaims from the other side. Frank opens the door and shoves his hands in his pockets. Claire is perched at the desk, skimming something on her computer. Emily is preoccupied with doing her homework on the floor.
"Did you need something, Francis?" Claire asks. She barely glances up at him over her reading glasses. Frank walks into the office, gently shutting the door behind him.
"I talked to Seth. He agrees we should do an interview…together. We were discussing either Matt Bai or Ashleigh Banfield. I want to get your opinion." He walks past Emily and sits in the empty chair across from his wife. Emily abandons her schoolwork and hops into her father's lap.
Claire slips off her reading glasses and closes her laptop before swiveling her chair to the side. Her hands fold over her stomach, a habit of hers Frank has recently noticed.
"I don't trust Ashleigh after our last interview. She's going to want to focus on us instead of the bill."
"My thoughts exactly."
"I think Matt would understand what we are trying to accomplish." Frank nods in agreement. Ever since the CNN interview Claire did, they've been extremely selective about the interviews they give to avoid another disaster. If press conferences weren't a necessary evil, Frank and Claire would not talk to the press altogether.
"I'll tell Seth to set it up once we get back." Frank wants to personally handle this since he was the one who got them in hot water to begin with. Claire gives him a clipped nod and turns, shifting her attention to the laptop. Frank takes this as his cue to leave and nudges Emily out his lap. The five-year-old has been uncharacteristically quiet during this whole exchange. "Claire?"
"What?" Claire glances up at her husband, seeing him hovering in the doorway.
"We are together. No matter what." Frank sincerely says. A barely-there smile tugs at Claire's lips. She appreciates him saying that, but she isn't ready to forgive him quite yet. They still need to have a conversation—away from their daughter—about his reservations regarding their second child. "Em? Can I borrow you for a second?"
Emily looks up and gives him the same skeptical look he's received from Claire many times—a slight tilt of the head, narrowing of their identical cerulean eyes.
"Sure, Daddy, but I have a lot of work to do." Emily follows her father out of the office and into the main cabin of Air Force One. Emily hops into one of the many unoccupied seats near an agent.
"When we get back, you and I are going shopping for your mom. We can't tell her though." Frank is wary about trusting Emily with keeping their excursion from Claire, but his wife has an event tomorrow that will allow them to sneak away undetected.
"Why not?" Emily asks. She can't remember a time when she's gone shopping for either of her parents since they don't get each other presents.
"I want it to be a surprise." Emily nods in understanding.
"I won't tell her."
"Good. Get back to work," Frank says playfully before disappearing into his own office.
When they get back to the White House, Frank shutters himself in the Oval while Claire goes to her own office. From years of being married to his wife, he knows when he should push and when he should give her space. He would rather have her open up the dialogue when she's ready, so she'll be more receptive to finding a middle ground.
"Claire and I agree, we want Matt to do the interview. I want you to set it up as soon as possible. We can make next week work," Frank tells Seth.
"Of course. I'll reach out to Matt and see what his availability is. Where is the Vice President? I have some things to go over for her event tomorrow." Seth has grown accustom to having Claire in the Oval during meetings like this. It's weird to be speaking to Frank without her.
"She's in her office." Frank leaves it at that. He doesn't want members of their administration knowing when he and Claire have a fight. It will only substantiate the Herald's claim of marital strife.
"Right. I'll talk to them and set something up for next week." Seth flees the Oval Office and walks down the narrow hallway to Claire's.
Later that night, Frank, Claire and Emily are having a mostly silent dinner at the residence. Emily is chattering on about her friend Ian while Frank and Claire are half-listening.
"Ian says he thinks the baby is a boy, but I told him he's wrong," Emily proudly informs her parents. Claire glances at Frank over their daughter's head, silently warning him to tread carefully in his response.
"I think Ian is right." Emily nearly drops her fork in shock. Claire suppresses a laugh in her hand.
"What? No way. Mommy, what do you think?"
"I think the baby will be a girl," Claire says to reassure Emily. Emily breathes a sigh of relief and glares at her father.
"Told you, Daddy."
"Francis, did Seth tell you he got Matt Bai for next week? We are doing the interview here, at the residence." Frank nods. This is the first time they've addressed each other directly since their conversation on the plane.
"He didn't, but the sooner we get it out there, the better. Are we doing this as a family?" Frank asks, not-so-subtly asking if Emily will be involved.
"I think the two of us will be enough. They want to take photos as well." Frank grimaces at the idea. As much as he loves being in the spotlight, he hates planned photo shoots. He's sure—like him—Claire is thinking of their disastrous portrait session a few years ago. "Maybe Emily could be involved in that."
"Okay."
Claire is wondering if it's even worth talking to Frank about the precarious situation they've found themselves in. It's not so much he's against having a second baby—she's aware of it—it's the lack of support she feels that makes her upset. He's breaking their rule and they're in freefall right now, and they won't survive long in this state. However, if she's being honest with herself, even if Frank tells her he supports her, she might not believe it. He already told her a variation of that on the plane and it didn't move her as much as she thought it would. She doesn't know what she wants from him, which is part of the reason she's so upset.
"Emily, are you coming with me to the event tomorrow?" Claire asks. She's seen how much her daughter enjoys the political engagements her and Frank do and tries to include her when appropriate. Emily nervously shifts in her seat and shakes her head.
"No…I'm borrowing Em for something tomorrow." Frank says, winking at Emily. Claire lifts her eyebrows and starts to back out of her chair. "I got this. Go relax. I have to run back to the Oval anyways." Frank stands up and grabs his and Claire's plate. He stands next to Claire and gingerly leans down to kiss her cheek, wanting to see if she's receptive to it.
"Thank you." Claire says and halfheartedly accepts the kiss from him.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Frank is relegating himself to his former bedroom or the couch in the Oval before Claire can. He's serious about giving her space, but he's putting a clock on it. They need to make up prior to the interview or it will be pointless.
"Okay." Claire frowns as her husband leaves the residence. He's putting distance between them because he feels he has to.
"Can we watch a movie?" Emily asks. Claire nods, which sends Emily sprinting to the couch. The five-year-old cuddles up to her mother, resting one hand on Claire's stomach. Emily falls asleep against Claire an hour later. Claire tucks Emily into bed, changes into pajamas and heads to the Oval.
Frank is jotting down notes at his desk when Claire comes strolling in.
"Hey," Frank says as he takes off his glasses. He's surprised to see his wife here. He thought she would wait until tomorrow to talk to him. Claire lifts herself onto her usual spot and hands him a cigarette.
"I figured one of us should get some enjoyment out of this," Claire states as she watches her husband light the cigarette. "Francis, I don't want us to be in the place we were before I left, especially now."
"I agree." Frank takes a drag of the cigarette as Claire reaches for a cup to set on his desk. "When I said we are together on this, I meant it. That doesn't mean I want another baby."
Frank stands up and sits on his desk so he's directly facing Claire. He blows the smoke away from her face.
"Are you hoping I lose the baby?" Claire asks him, wanting to hear his honest answer.
"Of course not, sweetheart. I just want you to see the difference."
What Frank is trying to say, which Claire doesn't seem to understand, is that even though he doesn't want another baby, he won't actively root against it. He will accept another child, just like he did when Emily was born.
"I understand. I think this will be good for us." Claire sets her hand on her abdomen.
"I hope you're right." He pauses and places his hand over hers that's resting on his desk. Claire senses it and links their fingers together. "We have to prepare for some tough questions from Matt Bai. He's going to ask about the maternity bill and the Herald article."
Claire reaches for the cigarette and takes a quick puff, much to Frank's confusion.
"Old habit. We should go over some practice responses later. I'm going back to the residence. Are you coming to bed?" Frank grins at the invitation.
"Yes, I just have to finish this briefing for tomorrow." Claire leans over and stamps a kiss to his cheek.
"I'll see you later, Mommy!" Emily tells Claire while she's hastily buttoning her rain jacket, wincing when a brunette strand gets caught.
"Have fun with Daddy," Claire tells her. Frank comes out of the bedroom holding an umbrella.
"Are you ready?" Frank purposely left details vague so Emily wouldn't blab to Claire. Emily sprints over to him and grabs his hand.
"Are you going to be back in time for our afternoon meeting?" Claire asks, hoping she can extrapolate some information from her husband on his secret mission with their daughter.
"Yes. Let's go." Frank bypasses Claire, watching her put a hand on his arm as he walks past.
"Where are we going, Daddy?" Emily asks as she buckles herself in her car seat. Frank directs the Secret Service agent driving to a nearby baby store he had shut down prior to their arrival.
"We are going to get Mommy something. I need your help picking something out."
"Is it her birthday?" Emily asks. They never celebrate Frank or Claire's birthdays, but the five-year-old thought her dad changed his mind.
"No. I just want to get her a present just because."
"Okay."
Claire is let out of the limo at a banquet hall a few miles from the White House. She's agreed to speak for a fundraiser that raises money for unprivileged mothers in the DC area. Ever since announcing she's expecting, Frank put an enhanced security detail on her. He tries to travel with her when he can, but there are restrictions since they are president and vice president. Instead, Claire brought Tom along to help with her remarks.
"Hi, thank you, I don't feel great," Claire says to another pregnant woman near the stage. She's been trying to play up her pregnancy as much as she can for as long as she can. Claire moves onto an African American woman holding a toddler. "I'm due in December. I still have about five months to go."
"Do you think Mommy will like this?" Frank asks and holds up a onesie with a giraffe on it. Admittedly, he didn't do any of the shopping when Claire was pregnant with Emily. He isn't sure what his wife's taste in baby attire is.
"No. It's not cute," Emily tells her dad. She moves down the aisle, looking exclusively at girl's clothes. Frank has a feeling his daughter is only going to want to pick out pink onesies. They might have to compromise on an item rather than an outfit. "Daddy! Look!" Emily points outside to the photographers taking their picture through the window.
"Emily, come over here," Frank instructs his daughter. He doesn't want his daughter straying too far from him, especially when the press is around.
"Thank you so much for having me here today. As an expectant mother myself, I know it's more important now than ever to contribute to causes that help growing families in our area. Our administration is thrilled to be announcing a roll-out package supporting working mothers." Claire pauses to let her comment sink in. "Francis and I were embarrassed to learn that our country is one of the only developed countries that doesn't have mandated, paid family leave. While we are in office, we want to change that."
"Daddy, what do you think of this?" Emily asks and points to a stuffed shark on a high shelf. Frank and Emily have been at the store for over an hour, combing through every baby-related item they could find.
"Here, let me grab it," Frank reaches up and grimaces because of the stretching of his scar.
"You okay?" Emily asks, her cherub face emanating concern.
"I'm fine." Frank rubs his side briefly before turning his attention to the stuffed animal his daughter found. "This is a really good idea." Emily smiles proudly and stands a little taller.
"You love us more than sharks love blood, right?" Frank has told Emily and Claire that on numerous occasions.
"Of course, darlin'. Let's get this. Did you find anything else?" Emily shakes her head. Frank grabs his daughter's hand and walks to the counter to check out.
Claire isn't exactly sure what direction it came from, but based on how loud the shot was, it had to be close. A melee ignites the crowd, sending people scrambling to the exits. Secret Service runs on stage, circling around her as they scramble to an awaiting SUV. Tom is already in the car, eyeing her with concern.
"Are you alright?" Tom asks. Claire nods as she takes a few deep breaths to calm down. She folds her hands over her stomach and closes her eyes. Tom reaches over and places his hand on her lap. "It's okay."
"Let's go," Claire tells the driver of the SUV. She wants to get back to the White House as fast as possible.
"Sir, there were reports of shots fired at your wife's event," A blonde, female Secret Service agent says. Frank just got finished paying for the stuffed animal and hands Emily the bag. She reaches for him to pick her up, which he obliges.
"Is she okay?" Frank asks. Emily is looking from her father to the agent, wondering what's going on.
"She's fine. They are taking her and Tom Yates back to the White House. They should be arriving in about ten minutes."
"Okay, let's go. Now." Frank puts Emily on the floor and instructs her to get buckled while he throws his seat belt on.
"What's wrong?" Emily asks.
"Something happened at your mom's event. She's okay, but we need to go see her." Emily nods in comprehension and takes the shark out of the bag to play with on the drive home.
By the time they get back to the White House, Claire is sitting in Frank's chair in the Oval.
"Hi!" Emily exclaims. The five-year-old quickly hides the shopping bag behind her legs, but Claire already saw it. Frank walks over to his wife, engulfing her in a hug.
"Are you okay? Are the both of you okay? Do you need to get checked out?" Frank asks. He wasn't briefed on the details of what happened at Claire's event, just that a gun went off.
Claire grins at the concern radiating from her husband. She shakes her head as they separate.
"We're fine. One of the agent's guns accidentally fired backstage." Frank breathes a sigh of relief. Claire's eyes shift from him to Emily.
"Hey Emily, what do you have there?" Claire asks, knowing the gift is for her. Emily tosses the bag under her father's desk.
"Nothing." Emily has a remarkably good poker face for her age. If Claire didn't see the bag, she would've believed her daughter. Frank laughs and walks over to his desk, grabbing the bag off the floor.
"We got you something." Claire accepts the shopping bag but doesn't peer inside.
"You got me something because you thought I got shot today?" The confusion dancing across Claire's face makes Frank chuckle. She's not used to him getting her presents.
"No. We got you something because we wanted to. Open it later, we have a meeting to get to." Seth, Doug, Claire and Frank are prepping for the interview with Matt Bai, looking for any vulnerabilities in their answers.
"Thank you. I have to drop Emily off with the nanny and I'll be back." Claire dusts a kiss to Frank's cheek and holds the shopping bag close to her while Emily follows.
Hours later, Frank comes nearly sprinting into the residence, having just come from a meeting that ran late. Claire is already waiting with Emily at the table.
"I know, I'm late," Frank tells his wife and sits down in his spot at the table. Emily inhales her bite of spaghetti that was getting cold.
"You are. We were about to eat without you," Claire lightly admonishes. Frank sheepishly accepts a plateful of spaghetti. Their prep for the Times interview took longer than expected because Seth and Doug kept pressing them for better answers. Everything else on Frank's plate this afternoon got pushed back. Claire barely made it back to the residence in time to cook dinner.
"Did you get my gift?" Frank asks. Claire smirks, she was touched by it, but wants to have a little fun with her husband.
"I wouldn't exactly call that a gift, Francis." Frank stops mid-chew and turns to look at his wife. Emily stops eating as well and copies her father's bewildered expression.
"You wouldn't?" Claire shakes her head, desperately trying to keep the smile off her face.
"No. I would call it more of a gentle reminder than a gift." Frank realizes she's using the same words he used when he sent a framed photograph of them to her office while she was contemplating accepting Remy Danton's donation to her former company. "More heavy-handed than gentle I suppose, which isn't really your style, Francis."
"So you liked it?" Frank asks, seeing through her attempt at downplaying his gift.
"I did. You are really good at picking out animals for our children." Our children. He's surprised by how those words make him feel. He's so used to having a child, it's going to be a strange transition from one to two. "Emily, your daddy picked out your old bunny for you."
"You did?" Emily asks. The five-year-old was obsessed with the lilac rabbit she's had since she was a baby. Currently, the stuffed animal is sitting at the bottom of the subway tracks in New York City. The attempted retrieval of said animal caused an uproar when Claire was seen scolding Emily for attempting to grab it.
"I did. Well…Nancy did."
Frank walks up the stairs after checking the basement for Claire. Even if she's six months pregnant, his wife still thinks she can work out on the rowing machine.
"Claire?" Frank calls out. She usually texts him if she's going out for a jog. Although, after the news of her pregnancy broke in the newspaper, she's been keeping her comings-and-goings limited to the townhouse and her office.
"I'm in the nursery!" Claire yells back. Frank opens the door to their future child's bedroom. Claire is seated on the floor, folding clothes. He glances at the gray walls and sparse furniture decorating the space. His wife hasn't asked him for any input on the decor, so Frank hasn't offered any. He assumed if Claire wanted his help, she would ask.
"This is coming together quite nicely," Frank comments.
"It's a nursery. It's fine." Claire sets aside the pile of onesies she's been folding and notices her husband is holding a gift bag. "What is that?"
"A present from Nancy. She heard about the baby and wanted to get us something." Frank hands her the bag and watches Claire pull out a stuffed rabbit.
"It's nice. We can put it in the crib…whenever it gets here."
"I'll make a call tomorrow. The crib will be here and set up by this weekend."
"Thank you." Claire tries to get off the floor, but her stomach won't allow for the motion. She grunts and propels herself forward, only to nearly topple over. Frank watches in amusement, not wanting to extend any help until she asks for it. "Francis, can you…?" Frank holds his hand out for her, feeling her grasp it and lift herself up. His hands slide down her sides, gently tugging on the fabric of her bunched-up, ebony sweater dress.
"Em actually picked out the shark. She said it was because I tell you girls that I love you—"
"More than sharks love blood." Claire finishes for him. "Thank you, Emily. I think your brother or sister will like the toy."
When Claire heard about Frank and Emily's excursion, she wasn't expecting her husband to pick out something for their baby. After she saw the press photos of Frank and Emily today, she realizes the exposure was part of the reason why he did it. Regardless, she's still touched by the gesture. He's trying to show he's serious about supporting her decision to have another baby even if he doesn't want it.
Claire slides out of her chair and leans down to gently kiss Frank on the lips. Frank brushes back her blonde bob and pinches her cheek.
"Mommy, Daddy, gross," Emily complains. Claire pulls away from her husband and walks to the sink like she didn't hear their daughter.
"You're gross," Frank shoots back while playfully sticking out his tongue at Emily.
"Francis," Claire scolds from the kitchen, making Emily laugh.
Nearly a week later, Frank and Claire are scrambling to get ready for their New York Times interview. Emily is getting ready to leave for school, upset that she isn't part of the experience.
"Sorry Em, this is part of Mommy and I's job," Frank explains. He doesn't care if Emily is around for the interview, but there's no need for her to be present. Claire insisted on their daughter going to school instead.
Emily's blue eyes sweep over the living room of the residence which has been transformed into a makeshift photography studio. There's special lighting everywhere and her mom has spent most of the morning getting her makeup done.
"Francis! Can you come in here?" Claire asks from her bedroom.
"Don't leave just yet," Frank tells Emily. He has a feeling his wife is not happy with the outfit Seth picked out for her last night. Frank goes into the bedroom, seeing Claire struggle with the zipper of her copper-colored dress.
"Can you zip this for me?" Claire asks. Frank approaches her, gently sweeping her curled hair over her shoulder so it doesn't get tangled. He pulls on the zipper, but it won't budge.
"It's not coming up. Hold on," Frank yanks on the zipper and they both hear a tear in the fabric. Claire gasps and glances down. Her stomach has filled out in the past week, taking more of a rounded shape. She thought she still had time to wear non-maternity clothes, but she might've been wrong.
"Em! We need you!" Frank yells. Their daughter can provide better fashion advice than him. Claire glares at him for ruining her dress. She slips out of the garment and is clad in her bra and underwear when her daughter steps in.
"Hi Mommy, what's up?" Emily asks. Her eyes divert from her mother to the dress pooled on the floor.
"I need help picking out an outfit." Claire reaches for her robe, cinching it around her waist.
"Matt is here. I'm going to go buy us time," Frank informs his wife and sneaks out of the room.
Emily walks over to her mother's expansive closet, knowing where she keeps her dresses from all the time she's spent admiring the clothes. Claire's noticed her daughter's keen eye for fashion and wants to tap into it whenever she can.
"What color is Daddy wearing?" Emily asks while staring at a black skirt. Claire is a step behind Emily, wanting to see what her daughter lands on.
"Blue. I don't think black would work." Emily ignores her mother and opens another door of Claire's closet.
"Which one?" Emily asks, pointing to an ivory, boatneck dress and a black skirt, a white dress shirt with a gray t-shirt jacket over it.
"The white dress. Thank you, Emily," Claire dusts a kiss to the five-year-old's forehead. She appreciates her daughter pinch-hitting in a crisis. Emily watches Claire slip off her robe and grab the dress off the hanger.
"Mommy, why does your belly look weird like that?" Emily asks, pointing to Claire's swollen stomach.
"I'm not that far along so my stomach looks a little misshapen. It will round out and get bigger as the baby grows. You can touch, Emily." The five-year-old tentatively reaches out and rests her hand on Claire's bare abdomen. "The baby isn't ready to move yet. It will be a few more weeks."
"You can feel the baby moving?" Emily asks, her eyes wide with wonder.
"Of course. You kept me up all night long when I was pregnant with you."
Emily's hand falls away from her mother's stomach and Claire quickly changes into her dress. She slips her ebony peep-toe pumps on her feet and leaves the zipper gaping in the back so her husband can zip her up.
"Wait!" Emily grabs a pair of diamond studs off Claire's makeup table and hands them to her mother. Claire winks at Emily and puts them on. Emily steps out first and smiles at her father as they are walking towards him.
Frank is chatting with a bald man Claire assumes is Matt Bai about how he thinks the interview will go when they are interrupted.
"You look beautiful," Frank assures his wife and gently zips her dress up. Emily suctions herself to her father's leg, wary of Matt.
"This is our daughter, Emily," Claire says as she shakes Matt's hand.
"Hi," Emily mumbles to the reporter. The little girl is still frightened of strangers, another side-effect of her kidnapping.
"Hello. I'm going to be asking your mom and dad some questions today. Is there anything you want me to ask them?" Matt asks Emily. Emily smiles and steps away from her father.
"Ask them about names for my sister," Emily bluntly tells the reporter.
"We don't know if the baby is a girl yet, Em," Frank gently reminds his daughter. Emily ignores her father and giggles when the reporter pretends to write something down. "You have to get to school. We will see you later."
Emily exchanges hugs with both of her parents and scampers off to the agents waiting to take her to school. Frank and Claire have relaxed their stance on taking Emily to school and only do it now if their daughter asks.
"If you wouldn't mind giving me a few more seconds, I will be ready to go," Matt tells the First Couple and walks away to chat with an assistant.
"Emily picked that out for you?" Frank asks Claire with shock. He likes the way the fabric clings to her, making her bump look rounder than the previous dress she had on.
"She did. She also said my stomach looks weird." Frank laughs at his daughter's no-filter remark. He puts his hand on her back, guiding her to the couch. Claire looks a little nervous to him, which is unusual.
"You okay?" Frank asks. If his wife wants to back out, now would be the time to do it.
"Yes. Are we sure Seth went over the questions with him?" Claire has a horrible feeling this interview is going to go off the rails like the one she did with Ashleigh. Luckily, Frank is here this time to help guide the reporter's line of questioning.
"Yes. I trust him." Claire gives him a clipped nod and readjusts on the couch. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Matt walking towards them.
"Are you guys ready?" Matt asks. Frank nods and watches Matt turn on his recorder.
A/N 2: Okay, I thought I was going to cover their interview this chapter, but I got distracted and here we are. Next chapter will be the interview, I promise. (And for those of you concerned, it won't be like The Interview because nobody wants to read the same thing twice.) Also, I'm still torn about whether Frank and Claire can have two kids. Input on this (or anything) would really help! Thank you so much for reading and please, please stay safe!